Folding table.



L. W. MILLER. FOLDING TABLE.

RPPLICATION FILED JULY 20.1911.

Patented Sept. 3,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I I Z. WM/ZZZGZNZZNTOR WITNESSES ATi'oRNEY L. W. MILLER.

FOLDING TABLE.

APPLICATION men JULY 20. 1911.

Patented Sept. 3,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHE: 2-

INVENTOR Z. BY wfimwb WITNESSES ATTORNEY L. W. MILLER.

FOLDING TABLE. APPLICATION FILED IULY 20.19l'7.

1,277,988. Patented Sept. 3,1918.

3 snzz'rs sum 3.

INVENTOR- WITNESSES LEONARD w. MILLER, or ron'r aoivns, oALI-rormIA.

FOLDING TABLE. I

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 3,1918.

Application filed July 20, 1917. Serial No. 181,841.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, LEONARD W. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Jones, in the county of Siskiyou and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding Tables, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in tables .of the'collapsible or folding class.

In carrying out my invention, it is my.

purpose to produce a folding table of a simple, but strong and effective construction, wherein the same may be readily set up to provide the table and easily folded or collapsed to provide a small or for shipment. I

It is a further object of the improvement bundle for storage to produce a folding table for tourists, campers, or dwellers in small apartment houses comprising a hollow column designed to receive the leg or Supporting members for the table when the table is collapsed and to retain the said legsor supports in proper position, .when the table is set up, the said column also receiving supporting elements for the top of the table when the said table is collapsed and retaining the said top supporting elements or arms in proper position to receive the top thereon, the said top comprising a plurality of hinged sections designed, when folded to inolose the column" when the table is folded and to be rigidly secured to the column when the table is set up. I accomplisnthese objects and others, which will later appear, by a novel construction and arrangement, ofp'arts, asimpie andv satisfactory embodiment of which eing illustrated by the drawings.

In the drawings, 7 I V Figure 1 is a perspective view of a table constructed in accordance with the present invention in its setnp position.

Fig, 2 is an approximately central vertical longitudinal sectional view throughthe same. s Fig. 3 is a sectional view approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,- looking toward the arrows. V Fig. & is a central view approximately on the line i-PL of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is' a sectional view approximately on the-line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the device with the top removed. v Fig. 7 's a perspective view of the column.

Fig. 8 is a'similar view of the guide rod.

Fig. 9v is a perspective view of one of the heads for the legs or for the supporting arms of the top.

Fig. 10 is'a central longitudinal sectional view through the pedestal or column illustrating the device in its folded position.

Fig. '11 is a 'bottomplan view of the top.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view illustrating the device in its folded condition and the sec tions of the top arranged around the pedestal or column. i

Preferably, for the sake of lightness,fthe- 7 hollow c'entr'a'l'member or column 15 of my improvement is constructed of light metal, of suflicient strength to withstand the uses to which it is subjected. -The column 15' is also preferably, but also not necessarily, of a tubular-form, its opposite ends being'provided with radially disposed equally spaced notches 1 6'16, the notches upon the upper end of the Qcoluinn being preferably disposed intermediate of the notches on the lower end .of the said column, and the colum'inat the inner wall provided by the said notches is preferably reinforced by exteriorly arranged bands The column, upon 1ts inner surface is provided with a straight longitudinally extendmg rib 18, the sameproviding a guide for 1 theheadof the sustaining legs and table top supporting arms, as will hereinafter be apparent, and thesaid rib further provides a guide fora disk 19, the said disk having a peripheralnotch 20 receiving the said rib 18. The disk is further provided with angularly disposedfoppositely arranged ears 21, each of the said ears having' a. threaded orifice designed, through the medium ofthe en gagement with the rib and'notch,1tobe broughtlin proper register. with similar openings. in the column '15, and passing through these'alining openings are threaded securing elements 22. The disk 19 provides the support for} a guide rod 23, which is approximately centrally connected with the said disk and which has its opposite ends threaded for determined lengths as indicated by the characters 24.

Upon the guide rod 23, to the opposite sides of the disk 19 are slidably arranged head members 25 and 26 for the arms which provide the table top support and for the legs which providethe support for the construction. Each ofthe heads is preferably in the nature of a fiat disk, each having a peripheral notch 27 to receive the rib 18 in the column 15. The guide rod, outward of the heads 25 and 26 has screwed thereon nuts 28 and 29 respectively, the nut 28 serving as a stop means for the outward movement of the head 25 and the nut 29 likewise so :ing as a stop means for the head 26, and for an additional purpose which will presl he set forth. The nut 28 is of the ordionstruction, but the nut 29 is preferin the nature of a socket member of c ndrical nature having its outer end lierfed as at 30, the said kerf being designed to receive the bit of a screwdriver, whereby the said nut may be adjusted longitudinally upon the rod 23, and by virtue of such adjustment regulate the outward movement of the head 26 upon the said rod. This, of course, is also true of the nut 28 with respect to the head 25, but the adjustment of the nut 29 provides for the regulation of the angle at which the leg members, attached to the head 26 may be arranged with respect to the column 15, and consequently, permits of the table being arranged at different heights.

Each of the head members 25 and 26, upon their outer faces, is provided with a plurality of ears arranged in spaced pairs and radiating from the center of the said heads, the ears for the head 25 being indicated by the characters 31 and the ears for the head 26 by the characters 32. Between each pair of ears 31 is pivotally connected an arm 33, the number of arms agreeing with the number of notches in the upper end of the column l5 and the said arms, by the proper adjustment of the nut 27, being designed to be arranged at a true right angle with respect to the column, when the said arms are in their spread and top supporting position. The pairs of ears 32 of the head 26 are disposed approximately centrally between the pairs of cars 31 of the head 25, and pivotally secured between each pair of ears 32 is a leg member 34. The number of the legs corresponds with the number of the notches on the lower or outer end of the column 15 and the said leg members are designed to be received between the walls provided by the said lower notches, when the legs are in their spread or supporting position. As previously stated, it will be apparent, that upon the adjustment of the nut 29, the legs 34 may be retained at any desired angle with respect to the column, and consequently a table of different heights may be thus provided. It will be apparent that when the leg members and arms are folded together, the same may he slid upon the rod 23 to within the hollow column 15, the frictional engagement of the head members 25 and 26 with the inner surface or ball of the column being sufficient to normally retain the said arm and leg members within the column.

By reference to the drawings, it will be noted that one of the threaded ends of the rod 22 is extended a suitable distance above the nut 28 and this end of the said-rod is designed to be engaged by the threads in. the bore of a sleeve 35, the outer end of which being flanged as at 36, the flange and sleeve being in the nature of a cap nut.

Before the cap nut is applied, and when the device is in its set up position, the sectional top 37 for the table is positioned over the arms and supported thereby, the central member 38 of the said table having a central opening therein, as indicated by the numeral 39, and through this opening the sleeve 35 is adapted to pass. The outer face of the member 38 is provided with a central depression 40 surrounding the opening 39, and the cap or flange 36 of the nut 35 is designed to be received within the said depression and to rest flush with the outer surface of the member 38 of the top 37. To provide for the removal or the attachment of the flange nut to the table top, and to the upper threaded end of the rod 23, the flange 36 of the said nut is centrally kerfed as at n to receive the bit of. a screw-driver or like instrument.

The top 37 is preferably round in plan and comprises any desired number of sections, hinge members 42 being secured to the under face of the sections of the confronting ends thereof, and by thisv arrangement, it will be noted that the sections are retained in proper alinement so that the outer surface of all of the sections will be disposed flush with each other, when the top is in its applied position, and it will be further noted that the last hinged connection of the members 42, provided by the top will permit the same to be folded and arranged upon the column 15 when the device is in its collapsed position as illustrated in Fig. 10 of the drawings, and when the top is in its said last mentioned position, the sections thereof will be retained in contacting relation with the column through the medium of an elastic band or strap 43, passed around and secured to the said sections.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a foldable table, a tubular column having a rib extending therethrough, a rod having its opposite ends threaded and extending centrally through the column, means upon the rod and engaging with the column and centrally securing the said. rod to the said column, disk shaped heads slidably mounted on the rod designed, by cont-act with the connecting member for the rod for limiting the inward movement of the said heads in the column, nut members adjustable upon the threaded ends of the rod and designed to limit the outward movement of the heads, pivoted arms upon one or the heads, pivoted legs upon the other head, said arms and said legs designed to be moved angularly over the ends of the column, when the heads are brought to one position, and a removable top supported upon the arms when the said arms are brought to their said angular position.

2. In a foldable table, a hollow column, having its opposite ends provided with spaced notches, reinforcing bands surrounding the column and alined with the inner walls provided by the notches, a longitudinally extending guide rod centrally secured in the column, heads slidable upon the guide rod in the column, adjustable means for limiting the outward movement of the said heads through the column, pivoted arms upon one of the heads, pivoted legs .upon the other head, said arms and said legs adapted to be swung into the notches at the ends of the column, when the heads are moved outward of the said column, a removable top supported by the spread arms, and means for securing the top to the guide rod.

3. In a foldable table, a hollow column having its ends provided with spaced notches, a guide rod in the column, heads slidably mounted upon the guide rod, pivoted arms upon one of the heads and designed to be swung through the notches when the said heads are brought outward of the column, pivoted legs upon the other head and also designed to be received in the notches, when the said head is brought ad jaoent the other end of the column, means upon the guide rod and contracting with the last mentioned headfor regulating the angular relation of the leg with respect to the column, means upon the rod designed to engage with the first mentioned head for regulating the angle of the arms with respect to the column, a foldable and removable top comprising a plurality of hinged sections designed to rest upon the arms when the latter are in their spread condition, and means comprising a removable element engaging with'the head and one of the ends of the rod for retaining the head upon the rod and in contacting engagement with the referred to arms.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LEONARD W. MILLER.

009i" 0! this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the "commissioner of latente,

Wllhington, D. 0." 

